


Love's Revenge

by whazzername



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age of Sail, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24415768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whazzername/pseuds/whazzername
Summary: Lee had heard tales of pirates off the coast of Suna: ruthless, bloodthirsty fiends who would appear out of nowhere and leave nothing behind but corpses and charred wrecks. He’d thought they were mere ghost stories told by superstitious men who had been at sea too long, but perhaps there was more truth to them than he’d realized.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Comments: 26
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the GaaLee discord for the idea of this AU, it immediately grabbed me and hasn't let go ever since! I've had to do a ton of research for it, but it's turned out to be really interesting, and will definitely help me at trivia nights in the future!

Lee woke from a deep sleep to calls echoing through the ship to rouse the morning watch. He stretched as much as his hammock would allow, his foot connecting with something warm and solid.

“You’re kicking me,” Tenten grumbled from within the canvas beside him as he sat up, ropes creaking with the movement. From her other side another hanging cot swayed as Neji rose silently, his long dark hair mussed from sleep.

“Sorry!” Lee whispered as he slipped to the floor, the cold wooden planks a shock under his bare feet after the warmth of his blanket. He could hear the rest of the crew stirring beyond the doors of the midshipmen’s quarters as he lit a lantern, bathing the cramped room in flickering shadows.

He dressed quickly, pulling his uniform from where he’d folded it into his trunk the night before: a pair of white breeches, strapped at the knee over tall socks that slipped into a pair of buckled black leather shoes; a loose, white shirt tied neatly at the neck with a black neck scarf and a cream waistcoat buttoned overtop. He quickly combed his long black hair before plaiting it down his back and tying it with a green ribbon, running his fingers through his bangs to tidy them. Checking himself quickly in the small mirror on the back of the door, he shrugged into his long green coat, straightening the lapels so the gold buttons were even before heading out the door.

At 0400 hours, the sun had not yet risen, but it was just light enough to see as Lee climbed the steep stairs to the main deck. The deck was already bustling as the watches changed over, and Lee took a moment to inhale the cool, salty breeze before bounding up to the quarterdeck to take over from the middle watchman.

Lee spent the morning watch up in the rigging of the fore mast, overseeing adjustments of the sails, and keeping an eye on the horizon for any unexpected forms. Working aloft was one of his favourite tasks, the adrenaline of climbing hundreds of feet above the deck and wrestling with the sails. He had grown strong and surefooted over the years, and his ability to work the ropes no matter how bad the weather had gained him respect with the rest of the crew. It was an especially amazing place to be as sun rose, light glittering over the water as he sat atop the highest yard, the wind in his hair with a full view of all the activity on the deck far below him.

Ever since he first saw it, Lee had thought _The Morning Peacock_ was the most beautiful ship he had ever seen. A three-masted barque, her hull was painted a vibrant green trimmed with gold wales and batteries, with a peacock figurehead at her bow, its gilded tail feathers flowing along each side of the forepeak. At nearly 250 feet long, she carried 100 crew, and was the perfect balance of function and utility, boasting both speed and maneuverability, in addition to 16 guns and a large cargo hold.

They were currently on their way back home after a six-month trading voyage, their hull full of spices, silks, and gold, bound for Konoha. It had been a long, but relatively smooth expedition, with enough time at each port to explore the markets and stretch their sea legs. They were making good time on the return journey, and if the wind remained in their favour, they would be back in Konoha within the next fortnight.

At eight bells, Lee descended from the rigging to grab a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, before reconvening on the quarterdeck for inspection and training.

“Captain Gai!” Lee exclaimed, standing at attention as he approached his commanding officer. “Reporting for duty, sir!”

“Lee, my boy! You look absolutely brimming with youth this morning!”

Lee couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face at the praise. Captain Gai Maito was the epitome of the man Lee aspired to become, and attempted to emulate him in everything he did. From his shiny black braid, to his enthusiasm, to his blinding white grin, Lee had spent his formative years studying the man and incorporating his teachings into his own conduct. Although many of the crew thought the captain was a little eccentric, there was no doubt of his skill and experience, and Lee was never happier when someone mistook the two of them for relatives. It helped that Lee had the same wide, bushy eyebrows as the Captain, and it was their resemblance that may have been part of the reason Gai had agreed to take Lee under his wing in the first place.

At eight, Lee had simply been another workhouse foundling of Konoha, living and working in the same dingy building day after day, dreaming of a life higher than his station. On one of his rare days off, Lee had been watching the ships being loaded at the port when he’d heard a booming voice laughing above the rest of the din.

“That’s it, men! We can’t have the _Grey Wolf’s_ crew besting us! There’s an extra ration of ale in it for everyone if we win!”

A great beast of a man was heaving at the ropes as pallets of supplies was hoisted up to the deck of a beautiful ship, his white sleeves rolled up over bulging forearms and the sun glinting off his wide grin. Lee was transfixed as he watched the competition between the man’s crew and that of the ship next to them, loading mountains of barrels and sacks and all manner of supplies. It was only after the jovial man and his team were declared the victors, when the man donned a long green coat and tricorn hat with a peacock plume, that Lee realized the man was a captain.

Lee must have been staring, because the man caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up.

“Quite the dynamic display, wouldn’t you say young man?”

Lee could only nod, eyes wide.

“That’s the result of hard work and determination! Truly wonderful to experience, is it not?”

“Y-yes sir,” Lee squeaked out. Most people in the village barely spared Lee a passing glance, but this man didn’t seem phased to address Lee directly, despite his grubby clothes and dirty hands.

“What’s your name young man?”

“Rock Lee, sir.”

“Excellent to meet you, I am Captain Gai Maito!” The man proclaimed, holding out a large hand for Lee to shake. “And what are your aspirations young man? How are you spending the Springtime of your Youth?”

Lee looked at his feet, his voice lowering. “I pick oakum, sir. At the workhouse.”

“An important task indeed! My ship requires great deals of oakum to stay watertight! But is that truly your greatest goal?”

“I…” Lee furrowed his brows, small fists clenching at his sides. “I wish to become a great man! Although…although I am not sure how…”

“A worthy goal!” Gai said, his gaze softening. “Ah! Rival!” He boomed, as a man with grey hair and a dark blue captain’s jacket approached them. His neck scarf covered the entire lower half of his face, a scar over one eye disappearing underneath it. “Come to congratulate me on my win? I believe we are tied once again!”

“Maa, you barely won. I have more men, so I need more supplies.”

“Which means you also have more men to load it! I beat you fair and square!”

“I suppose,” The man drawled, before spotting Lee standing nervously nearby. “Who’s this?”

“My youthful friend here is Rock Lee! Lee, may I introduce you to my Eternal Rival, Captain Kakashi Hatake!”

“Pleased to meet you sir,” Lee said politely, earning a nod of acknowledgement from Kakashi.

“Mister Lee reminds me much of myself at his age!” Gai said, giving Lee a wink.

“The eyebrows?” The other captain asked.

“More than that, he has an understanding of the importance of hard work, and has aspirations of greatness!” Gai raised a fist, striking a dynamic pose. “As such, he is to apprentice under my personal tutelage aboard the _Morning Peacock_!” Gai glanced down at Lee with a grin. “That is, if he agrees?”

Lee’s eyes bulged as he realized what the man in front of him was offering. Apprenticeships at sea were hard to come by, and were typically given to boys from upper class families, or those with family connections to officers. Once acquired, however, they could lead to a real position and even a commissioned navy rank. Never in his entire life would he have thought such an opportunity could be possible for him.

“I-Yes! Of course, sir! Thank you!” Lee exclaimed, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

“Very good,” Gai said. “Now run and gather your things. We set sail at first light!”

The _Morning Peacock_ had been Lee’s home ever since. For the first time he had his own bed, three square meals a day, and someone looking out for him. It was also where he first met Neji and Tenten, who would be his fellow apprentices over the years, and eventually his best friends.

Neji had come from a well-known aristocratic family that expected distinction and duty to the family name, despite having passed him from relative to relative throughout his childhood. Despite Lee’s enthusiastic attempts to be friends, Neji had kept mostly to himself, remaining overly serious and indifferent to the rest of the apprentices. It had taken a particularly bad storm, with Lee and Neji holding on for dear life while they tried to furl one of the topsails, to get Neji to finally acknowledge Lee’s determination. From then on, Lee had unilaterally declared Neji his Eternal Rival just like Captain Gai and Captain Kakashi, and Neji begrudgingly humoured him.

Tenten’s introduction had been a bit of a surprise, as she had originally come aboard dressed as a boy. Her family had been weaponsmiths, and she had dreams of becoming a gunner on a warship, but as girls were not normally allowed on naval vessels, she’d had to take matters into her own hands. It hadn’t taken long for her to be found out, but Captain Gai had admired her courage, and allowed her to stay on. Neji and Lee took it upon themselves to look out for her, as the only girl on board, but it turned out their concern was unfounded. The one time a crewmember had gotten fresh with her, he’d ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose (and likely would have been more if Neji and Lee hadn’t held her back).

The three of them had grown up together at sea, first as apprentices learning basic seamanship, and then as midshipman in adolescence once they had enough experience under their belts. At nineteen, now, the three of them would be sitting their examinations to become commissioned officers when they arrived back in Konoha. It would be bittersweet, the day they would all leave the _Peacock_ for their own ships, but for now, there was still plenty of to do.

After breakfast, the three of them spent the forenoon watch training at small arms with Gai, firing pistols at targets, practicing fencing maneuvers, and even hand to hand combat and basic strength training. Gai’s training was certainly unorthodox, and it was probably an amusing sight for the rest of the crew to watch, but the captain insisted that consistent, hard training could mean the difference between life and death in battle.

Gai finally let them go at the bell for the midday meal, and the three staggered down to collapse in their quarters for mess. One benefit of being at sea was that the meals were hearty and regular, to account for the amount of physical labour that was required. The only downside was that in order for ingredients to survive the long voyages, meals were often repetitive, and typically bland. That day’s hot meal was a thick salt beef stew with potatoes, carrots, and onions, and a ship’s biscuit, a rock-like bread that required soaking to be soft enough to eat.

Tenten shoveled spoonfuls of stew into her mouth without much regard, but despite years of much of the same, Neji still looked less than pleased, eating with resigned acceptance. Lee thought that the food was far better than anything he’d ever had at the workhouse, but he’d come up with his own method for improving his meals even more.

“Neji! Would you like to try my improved spice blend?” Lee asked, offering the small tin that he brought out during mealtimes. “I have added a few ingredients from out last port and I think it is the best yet!”

Neji eyed the tin warily, before taking a small pinch and stirring it into his stew.

“It smells good, at least,” Tenten said, as Neji took a careful bite. “What all do you have in there now?”

“A little bit of everything! There is coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, black peppercorns, fennel seed, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, turmeric, nutmeg...and I know I am forgetting something-“

Lee was interrupted from his list of ingredients as Neji began coughing and spluttering, his face beginning to turn red.

“Oh, and cayenne pepper!”

Neji grabbed his mug with both hands and emptied the contents into his mouth before reaching across for Tenten’s.

“Hey! I earned that!” She exclaimed, snatching it away from Neji’s grasp. While enough water was stocked for the length of their journey, it tended not to store well, so the majority of the crew cut it with their daily rum ration and lime juice. Lee was one of the few on board who didn’t use his ration, after learning early on that he had a horrible tolerance for the stuff.

“Here, have mine!” Lee offered, as Neji drowned the unspiked contents gratefully. “I am so sorry! I did not think it was that spicy!”

After Neji had mostly recovered and they had finished their meal, the three parted ways for their separate duties during the afternoon watch. Lee spent the hours supervising and assisting in the cleaning of the lower decks, and updating the ship’s log book as well as his own personal journal where he kept detailed notes of his daily activities.

The weather began to turn as the day wore on, clouds rolling in low and the once clear sky darkening. The waves grew choppy and a layer of fog began to settle over the ship, making the line of the horizon blur and fall out of sight. Despite the weather, Lee went looking for Neji once the watch had ended, attempting to cajole him into a fencing duel.

“The rocking of the ship will be perfect for practicing our footwork! And the fog will heighten our other senses and make it even more challenging!”

“Fine,” Neji finally relented, taking the offered rapier and assuming a ready stance. Lee’s grin spread as he mirrored the position, determined to finally best his rival. Neji was a natural at sword fighting, his movements graceful and exact, but while Lee practiced tirelessly, Neji nearly always bested him.

The unsteady footing of the deck proved tricky, each trying to time their attack with the movement of the ship, and the fog only seemed to thicken as their bout went on. Despite Lee’s dynamic strikes, Neji still seemed to have the upper hand, countering each thrust and jab with his own sweeping assaults. Lee persisted however, even after Neji had won 6 straight points, and when Neji’s eyes finally darted to the side just as the ship crested a wave, Lee struck, the edge of his blade stopping just short of the side of Neji’s neck.

“Ha! The point is mine! I will catch up to you yet!” Lee exclaimed.

But instead of looking irritated, Neji was focused on something in the distance, his pale eyes squinting and a crease between his brows.

“What is it?” Lee asked.

“For a moment, I thought…” Neji’s thought trailed off as he strode to the side of the deck, pulling a collapsible spyglass from his belt and peering out into the haze of grey. Lee looked in the same direction and saw nothing beyond the mist, but Neji’s vision was unparalleled on board, and he had done the most training in navigation.

“Get the Captain,” Neji said suddenly, lowering the telescope. “Quickly.”

Without hesitating, Lee took off at a run towards the quarterdeck. If Neji saw something amiss, Lee trusted him without a doubt. He dodged surprised deck hands, shoes pounding against the wood of the deck as he sprinted up the stairs and inside, not even bothering to knock as he burst into Gai’s day cabin, where the captain was bent over the log book at his desk.

“Captain Gai! Something off the larboard bough!”

Gai was up in an instant, adjusting his hat atop his head, the green plume sweeping behind him as he followed Lee. As they approached Neji, his gaze fixed on some unseen point beyond the fog, Gai wordlessly took the spyglass and peered out into the distance.

“Eleven o’clock sir,” Neji said. “A half-mile off.”

Gai’s eyebrows furrowed as he lowered the glass and then looked again, as if to make absolutely sure his eyes were not deceiving him. Lee watched the captain intently, adrenaline pounding as Gai finally gave the telescope back to Neji and nodded decisively.

“Make the call.”

“All hands to stations!” Neji yelled towards the main deck. “Raise the colours!”

Gai clapped a hand on both his and Lee’s shoulders, giving them each a terse nod before striding back towards the quarterdeck.

“A ship?” Lee asked, as the call to stations echoed throughout the ship and a flurry of activity began.

Neji nodded solemnly. “A black flag.” He pressed the spyglass to Lee’s chest before following in the direction Gai had gone.

Lee put the sight to his eye and pointed it in the direction that Neji had noted, the grey clouds hanging low, but revealing nothing. Then all of a sudden, a shape. Dark and drifting like a shadow out of the gloom, the unmistakable form of sails surprisingly close, its ominous black flag bearing a red hourglass.

_Time is running out._

Over the years, the _Morning Peacock_ had run into a number of other ships during their voyages, some friendly, some less so. Usually it only took a warning shot or two before a foreign ship would sense that the _Peacock_ had no intention of surrendering without a fight, and would make a hasty retreat. Pirates were a different story. Lee had heard tales of pirates off the coast of Suna: ruthless, bloodthirsty fiends who would appear out of nowhere and leave nothing behind but corpses and charred wrecks. He’d thought they were mere ghost stories told by superstitious men who had been at sea too long, but perhaps there was more truth to them than he’d realized.

In the same instant that Lee realized the danger they were in, he heard a thunderous crack, and the deck to his right exploded in a crash of splintered wood. Stunned, Lee willed his limbs to move as his heart pounded in his chest. That was no warning shot.

“Run out the larboard guns!”

Lee could hear Gai shouting orders as he raced back to the quarterdeck. A deep rumbling reverberated through the ship as the cannons were moved into position. Lee knew Tenten would already be at her station below deck, choreographing the gun teams as they loaded and aimed the heavy iron guns. On the main deck, lighter canons were also wheeled into position as other crew hurried to clear the rest of the deck. The longboats that were usually stored on the main deck were hoisted over the starboard side and into the water, keeping them away from damage and at the ready if needed. Lee went to work helping the topmen furl the lowest level of sails to keep them out of the way and their sightlines clear, doubling important rigging lines just in case. The Konoha flag, a spiraling leaf on a field of red, flew at their stern, a challenge issued to their attackers.

“It seems these miscreants intend to threaten us!” Gai boomed, addressing the entire deck. “They do not know that they are challenging the most splendid ship that sails the seas! Let us show them the true strength of Konoha!”

The crew gave a resounding cheer at the captain’s rousing speech, and Lee could feel Gai’s confidence coursing through him as he stood beside the captain and Neji. There was an eerie moment of quiet as the decks grew silent, waiting for their target to come into view, to see exactly what they were up against and prove their worth against those who dared to confront them.

All at once the fog shifted, and the bow of a ship emerged, a twisted, snarling creature as its figurehead, demonic eyes painted black and sharp claws reaching out through the mist. A black hull and red sails finally came into view, much closer than Neji had originally seen, its broadside drawing parallel with the Peacock as bursts of smoke and flame erupted from its hull.

“FIRE!”

Gai’s voice thundered out over the cracking of wood and blasts of the canons from both sides, voices screaming out as cannonballs crushed timber and flesh. Wood rained down onto the main deck where a yard had been struck and was now dangling, the sail the only thing holding it in place. Lee hurried across the deck to where a crew member had been stuck by debris and fallen to the deck, blood blooming on his temple and across his shoulder. Half lifting, half dragging the man below deck, Lee deposited him with the ship’s surgeon as another round of shots erupted from the lower gun deck.

As he was making his way back up to the main deck there was a great crash and a crack of metal on metal as one of their guns was hit, propelling it back and slamming into the gun crew. Lee’s ears rang and gunpowder stung his nose as he tried to assess the damage to report back to Gai. The porthole had been blown wide open, and light streamed through the hole, illuminating the destruction as some of the team lay unmoving, the others attempting to help the rest.

“Reload!” Lee heard above the din, Tenten’s loud voice encouraging the remaining gun teams. “Aim for their guns!”

The ship shook with more blasts as Lee stumbled back onto the main deck, although at this point, he couldn’t tell if they were from their own cannons or their attackers’.

“Damage report!” Gai called as Lee neared him.

“We are down one gun below and have several wounded, sir! The main topsail was also damaged!”

“Get the boatswain and the carpenter up there to see if it can be patched, we need our full strength against these villains!”

Lee scrambled to his task, dodging debris and crewmembers in the chaos as more shots burst across the deck. He managed to locate the boatswain, but the carpenter was already at work patching the hull below the water level and couldn’t be spared. Lee did what he could in his stead, grabbing pieces of broken wood to use as bracing and assisting the boatswain as he attempted to repair the sail.

“Lee!” Neji called, from a group surrounding one of the middle cannons. “Get over here!”

Lee raced over to see that one of the guns had been damaged and was missing a wheel, necessary to maneuver it into position and allow it to properly recoil. He jumped in, straining with as many other hands that could help as they attempted to lift the heavy iron gun so a replacement wheel could be attached. Just as it slid into place, there was a great crack and they all ducked as splintered wood rained down on them. Lee looked up to see that a chain shot had ripped right through their main mast and he could only watch in horror as the entire rigging began to tilt.

“Look out!”

With a groan of timber, the mast and sails collapsed towards the bow, colliding with the foremast and ripping its sails as it came crashing down. There were screams as multiple crew members were caught underneath the beams, and the ship heaved dangerously with the impact.

Lee shared a shocked look with Neji. With two sails gone, they had lost their ability to maneuver. The Peacock was dead in the water.

“Reload and fire again!” They heard Gai yell. “Don’t give up! Give them all we’ve g-!”

A rain of smaller projectiles sprayed across the quarterdeck, cutting the captain’s orders short as he collapsed to the ground.

“Captain Gai!” Lee cried.

He and Neji ran to their fallen commander, crouching next to him in horror. A pool of blood was quickly spreading under one of his legs, the once white stocking torn to shreds with the impact, the leg completely mangled.

“Captain!” Lee called again as he shook his mentor, hot tears filling his eyes. Gai remained still and unmoving, his hat knocked to the side, the peacock feather broken and hanging limply.

“Get out of the way!” Neji barked, leaning an ear against Gai’s mouth and feeling for a pulse at his neck. “He’s still alive. We have to get him below deck!”

The two of them managed to drag Gai’s heavy form down below between them, Lee grabbing the captain’s damaged hat at the last minute.

“Get the surgeon!” Neji yelled to the nearest crew member as they lay him down along the starboard wall, away from the danger.

“What should we do?” Lee asked, a hint of panic at the edge of his voice as he used a strip of canvas from a nearby hammock to wrap Gai’s leg. “Should we continue to attack? What if they get close enough to board us? We are the ones who are to lead the crew in a situation like this!”

“Just give me a moment to think!” Neji snapped, his hands holding his temples.

“Oh my god! What happened!” Tenten exclaimed, having seen Lee and Neji bring Gai down from above.

“It must have been grapeshot!” Lee exclaimed. “To take out as many of us as they can with one shot!”

“And what was that huge crash? I thought the whole ship was breaking apart!”

“We lost the main mast, and part of the foremast with it!”

“Does that mean we can’t move?” Tenten asked, looking from Neji to Lee and back again.

Neji slowly lowered his hands, his mouth a firm line.

“We have to abandon the ship.”

“What?!”

“But Captain Gai always said that is a last resort! We cannot let them win! The captain would want to go down fighting!”

“Well that’s no longer his decision,” Neji retorted. “I don’t know about you but I do not want the captain and the entire crew’s blood on my hands.” Neji sighed. “It’s the right choice. Even he would see that.”

Lee frowned, equally angry and resigned to Neji’s decision. As much as he hated the thought of the _Peacock_ in the hands of a bunch of criminals, he could never live with himself if he let Captain Gai or the rest of the crew die.

“Okay.”

“Tenten, gather any crew down here and tell them to board the longboats,” Neji said, immediately taking leadership. “Get someone to spread the word to the crew up top as well.”

Clear that for once they had been beaten, the crew loaded the boats and one by one they began to row away from the _Peacock_. The pirates would likely strip the ship of any valuables and supplies they needed and then burn it, leaving the wreckage to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Neji, and Tenten were the last to board the final boat, Lee remaining on board the Peacock as he helped lower Gai down in a hammock.

“We’ve got him, come on,” Neji said, as Tenten settled Gai as best she could in the small boat.

“Wait!” Lee exclaimed, as he noticed Gai’s hat laying behind some canisters. “The captain would want his hat!”

Lee fingers had just clutched the black felt when there was a sudden explosion of wood and pain down his left side, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The hourglass was actually a common symbol on historical pirate flags!


	2. Chapter 2

_…_

_…_

_… will he live?_

_…_

_…infection setting in…_

_…_

_…may need to amputate…_

_…_

_…do what you can…_

_…_

_…Captain may have use for him…_

_…_

_…_

***

The first thing Lee was aware of was pain.

He felt like he was drowning in it, stealing his breath and crashing over him as he swam in and out of consciousness, the surface suddenly there and gone again as he sank back beneath its hazy depths. He couldn’t have known how much time passed before the throbbing waves began to calm, evening out and slowly receding to lap at his left side, flowing from his shoulder to his fingertips, down his thigh and calf and curling at his toes.

He slowly became aware of the noises surrounding him; the creaking of wooden planks, the distant rolling of waves, the low, muffled sounds of movement and voices from somewhere above him. They were sounds he was used to hearing everyday aboard the _Morning Peacock_ , but as he slowly cracked his eyes open, it was immediately apparent that was not where he was.

It was dark, his vision swimming with flickering light and shadow as his eyes adjusted. The shadows slowly came into focus as he blinked, sharpening to form a lattice of metal bands that surrounded him on all sides, their rough edges glinting from the light of a lantern just beyond. The walls of metal bars ran from floor to ceiling, enclosing him in a small cell just wide enough to hang the square canvas cot he was lying in, everything beyond the lantern light lost to darkness.

Disoriented, he tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot down his left arm and leg and he let out a cry, stomach churning as he collapsed back, the ropes suspending his cot creaking in protest. As the world spun, he willed the edges of his vision to stop tunnelling and tried to control his breathing around the wave of pain and nausea.

It seemed to take forever until the sharp pain subsided enough to be bearable, but he was finally able to lift his head just enough to look down at himself to find the source of the pain. His left arm and leg were wrapped in cloth, a piece of rough wood splinting each side and tied to his bandaged limbs. He was dressed only in his breeches and white shirt, the left arm cut away at the shoulder seam and his pant leg rolled up above his knee, both garments tattered and stained with streaks of dirt and what looked like blood. He felt flushed, but he shivered nonetheless in the damp air, his head heavy and unsteady.

Gritting his teeth, and careful to use only his right arm, Lee managed to prop himself up slightly, lifting a shaky hand to touch the bandage the started beneath his left shoulder. He peeled back the edge of the cloth just enough to see the mottled purple of his skin beneath, sucking in a breath at the sight.

“Still alive, I see.”

Lee jumped at the sudden voice, jolting his injured arm and hissing in pain as he craned his neck to find its source. A stout figure stepped into the edge of the lantern light, and Lee could just make out the heavily wrinkled face of an old woman beyond the bars.

“Who are you?” Lee rasped, his voice rough from disuse. “Where am I?”

The old woman smiled, eyelids crinkling, but said nothing as she turned and retreated back into the darkness, the sounds of her shuffling footsteps slowly fading.

***

As much as he wanted to try and find answers for his current state, the pain in Lee’s arm and leg was too much. Even trying to wiggle the fingers on his left hand sent a searing twinge all the way up his arm, and he could do little more than lay back in his cot as his mind raced. The last thing he remembered clearly was the crew abandoning the _Morning Peacock_ after it was damaged, but everything afterwards was a blank. He must have been injured at some point, but no matter how hard he tried it was all just a fog. How long had it been since then? Was Captain Gai alright? Had they been rescued by another ship? If they had been picked up, why was he alone in a cell? Where were Neji and Tenten?

In the dark, and with his head still reeling, it seemed like an eternity until he heard the sound of distant footsteps approaching, and his did his best to sit up to face whoever appeared.

“I see our guest is finally awake.”

Two people accompanied the old woman Lee had seen before, one a young woman who tilted her head with a smirk as she addressed him. The lantern lit the edges of her golden hair, tied in four equal parts like little sunbursts haloing her head. Her knee-length, deep purple coat was open at the neck over a black corset and tied at the waist with a red sash, and she rested a hand on a cocked, trousered hip, the heel of her calf-high black boots rapping against the deck.

“Welcome aboard _Love’s Revenge_ , Captain.”

Lee’s brows furrowed, his head still foggy with pain. _Captain?_

“I must say, you look younger than we expected.”

“But just as ugly,” The young man beside her added. He was dressed in black, with loose trousers and a tunic that were wrapped at the waist, forearms and calves with maroon leather lashings. His head was swathed in a piece of black cloth that draped loose at the sides like a hood and cowled under his chin, exposing only his face, which was streaked with bold, painted marks.

“At least you’re easy to spot with this eyesore,” he continued, raising a familiar looking tricorn hat, the once proud peacock feather dangling limp and broken. “Almost as obnoxious as those eyebrows.”

“I certainly hope the Leaf’s Noble Green Beast is worth more to Konoha that he is to his crew, Captain Maito,” The woman leered. “We almost chased them down too, but a slow death lost at sea seems fitting for a bunch of deserters.”

Lee’s eyes widened everything suddenly snapped into place, and he sunk back into the canvas, reeling.

He was aboard the pirate ship that had attacked the _Morning Peacock_.

His captors thought he was Captain Gai.

The real Captain Gai and the rest of the crew were gone, perhaps already dead.

He was alone and injured on an enemy ship.

“What’s wrong Captain?” The woman purred. “Cat got your tongue? You should be thanking us for being gracious enough to patch you up. Can’t have you dying on us before ransoming you back to Konoha.”

Lee closed his eyes as everything sunk in. It was almost poetic how things turned out. He had spent the last decade of his life trying to emulate his idol, and now, being mistaken for Captain Gai was the only thing that had kept him alive up to this point. The bleakness of his situation was immediately clear, however. He could try to continue the farce, let his captors believe their mistake, but inevitably at some point he would be found out and his punishment would be all the worse for his deception. Besides, there was no honour in lying. If he was going to die, Captain Gai would want him to be strong until the end. Face his fate head on and not give his captors the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. He huffed, a resigned smile curling his lip.

“It is not mine,” He said derisively.

“What did you say?”

“The hat. It is not mine.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re lying.”

“Captain Gai would never stoop so low as to lie about his identity! He is the bravest, most honourable man I know, and his crew would never abandon him!” Lee stared the woman down as best he could from his position, locking her in a defiant glare until the confidence in her eyes flickered.

“Baki,” The woman said, not breaking Lee’s gaze. A tall man that Lee hadn’t noticed before emerged silently from the shadows, his face partially covered by a headwrap and veil that hung over one side of his face. “Fetch the Captain.”

The man disappeared without a word, footsteps receding towards the deck above via a staircase somewhere in the darkness. The young man in the hood turned towards the woman, bending to speak low in her ear. “Temari, if this guy’s telling the truth…”

“I’ll think of something,” she hissed back at him.

“Should we turn around and try to find the survivors?”

“It’s been days, they could be anywhere by now!”

“He’s not going to be happy…”

The woman shot her companion a vicious glare that made him back away, holding his hands up in deference, but Lee saw the flash of worry in her eyes before she turned her attention back to him.

“If you’re not Captain Maito, as you so adamantly insist, who exactly are you then?” 

“My name is Rock Lee.” Lee tried to speak with as much conviction as he could manage. “I am a midshipman aboard the _Morning Peacock_.”

“And why should we believe you?”

“Villains such as yourselves may find lying comes easily, but I have been taught to have principles.”

“Careful now,” She warned, her green eyes glinting sharply in the lantern light. “We have been generous towards you thus far, but I wouldn’t push your luck.”

Lee raised his chin in defiance, but remained silent.

“When we boarded the _Peacock_ , we found you near death with this hat in your hands,” She pressed. “The Green Beast’s description is well known, and you match it right down to the bushy eyebrows.”

“A shared feature I have been proud to bear for all 19 of my years!”

The young man turned to the woman again, whispering loudly enough for Lee to make out.

“Weren’t Maito and Hatake in the Battle of Kirigakure? If he’s our age, there’s no way- ”

The question remained unanswered at the sound of footsteps descending from the deck above, the expression on the faces of the young man and woman turning tense. The old woman had remained silent through the entire interrogation, hovering at the edge of the shadows, but she looked towards the approaching party, her expression sober despite a deferential nod of her head. Lee propped himself up again, steeling himself to face the one responsible for the attack on _The Morning Peacock_ and his own capture.

The young man and woman parted as a pair of piercing, predatory eyes ringed in shadow appeared between them, fixing Lee in their sight before the figure’s full form appeared. Lee had heard stories from the old sailors that pirate captains were fearsome, barbaric men with few morals or conscience other than riches and destruction. He’d heard they cultivated their images to inspire terror in both their enemies and their crew, some even going to far as to tie lit fuses in their hair to appear more crazed and frightening.

On first glance, however, as the figure stepped into the lantern light, Lee thought he was looking at a cabin boy. A well-dressed one, but certainly not the image Lee expected of a commander of a force that had crushed one of Konoha’s best ships.

The man -boy?- was smaller than his companions, his face young and soft, yet Lee could instantly feel the power and authority emanating from his slight stature. A long, oxblood red coat swept to his knees over black trousers and boots, buckled at the waist with leather straps and trimmed with gold embroidery at the collar and cuffs. His face seemed paler against the deep red hue of his hair, cut short and parted to reveal a port wine birthmark to one side of his forehead. He couldn’t have been older than Lee, but there was something in his eyes that felt ancient, and it made Lee shiver involuntarily, despite the youth of the man’s face.

“What is it?” The young man said, his voice low and emotionless.

The blonde woman hesitated before speaking, her eyes darting nervously towards the younger man. “There is some question as to whether this man is actually Captain Maito. He claims to be merely a midshipman who resembles him.”

The shadowed eyes slid towards the woman, barely narrowing but unmistakably displeased.

“If he’s telling the truth, the resemblance is uncanny,” The man in the face paint pointed out. “Plus with all that blood and ash on him when we pulled him out, can you really blame-“ Icy eyes flashed at him and his excuse was abruptly cut off.

“Who are you?” The young man asked, his expression neutral as he addressed Lee.

“As I told your companions before, my name is Rock Lee and I am a proud student of Captain Maito Gai.”

It was eerie, those pale, sea glass green eyes staring at him so intensely, as if they were trying to peer into his very soul, but Lee held his gaze, willing himself not to falter under the scrutiny. Finally, the young man looked away, turning to leave.

“Kill him.”

Lee felt like he had been doused with ice water, his breath stuttering in his chest as his sentence was delivered so casually. He thought had been prepared for his fate, but fear and panic suddenly overwhelmed him, heart beating loud in his ears as he felt the shameful burn of tears behind his eyes.

_I am sorry Captain Gai. I am sorry I am not as strong as you taught me to be._

“Wait, Gaara!” The blond woman exclaimed. “We can still salvage this!”

The young man paused, levelling the woman with a scathing glare. “Your incompetence suggests otherwise.”

“The resemblance is enough to fool the eye from afar, so we can still continue as originally planned,” The woman explained. “We pass him off as Maito, collect our payment, and we’ll be gone before they have a chance to notice.”

“You think Konoha will be so easy to deceive as you two?”

“Konoha is weak," The woman said with a sneer. They would go to great lengths to reclaim one of their top commanders, and we can make sure they pay handsomely for his safe return. Father would be pleased if we were to make a mockery of them in addition to divesting them of gold.”

The young man was silent for a moment, his figure still in the shadows.

“We will make for Konoha after restocking provisions. Do not disappoint me again or you two will join _Captain Maito_ in his fate.”

The young Captain disappeared back into the shadows, his red coat sweeping behind him as his footsteps made for the deck above. The woman visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping forward as she shared a relieved look with the man in the face paint. Just as quickly, she reeled on Lee, her voice harsh.

“You hear that? Play along and you might just get home alive.”

She stalked off, her companion following close behind, leaving only the old woman to watch as Lee tried to hide the his momentary relief.

“Seems like my handiwork won’t go to waste after all,” The old woman said, eyes crinkling in a smile that Lee didn’t full trust. “I suppose I should take a look at you, since it appears you'll be with us for a while longer.”

She shuffled towards the door set into one side of the cell, producing a ring of keys from within her dark robe.

“Now don’t try any funny business,” she said, unlocking the door with a loud clang. She pulled a small dagger from her sleeve and waggled it at Lee. “I may be old but I’m not dead yet.”

“You-you did this?” Lee asked, keeping an eye on the blade in her hand as he nodded his head at the bandages covering his arm and leg. Most fully-manned ships had a surgeon on board that dealt with everything from illness to amputations, and were typically highly ranked and respected officers. Lee had luckily never had much need to see the _Morning Peacock_ ’s doctor, other than the occasional training accident or cold, but he had also never heard of a woman, much less one so old, holding the position.

She pulled a stool into the cell with her and sat down next to Lee’s hammock with a groan. She looked even older up close, her skin crepey and age spotted. Half of her thin hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head, the rest falling in a lavender grey shag around her wrinkled face, a dark cloth tied to keep it out of her eyes.

“Tch,” She huffed, picking Lee’s arm up roughly, making him wince. “Not very pretty, but at least you didn’t lose the arm.”

She began unknotting the cloth holding the wood splinting Lee’s arm and he bit his lip, trying not to cry out every time his arm was jostled. Her bedside manner left much to be desired, gentleness apparently not her top priority.

“How- _ah!_ -how long have I been aboard?” Lee asked, trying to take his mind off the pain and put together some of the pieces that were missing from his memory.

“Hmm, a week?” She mused. “Thought you’d be dead for sure by now, but sometimes I even surprise myself!”

She cackled at her own joke as she began unwrapping the bandage covering Lee’s arm, slowly revealing the full extent of his injury. His arm beneath was swollen to nearly twice its original size, a map of mottled bruising, in places so dark his skin was almost black, while others were a sickly yellow. Tracks of dark stitches zig-zagged across his bicep and forearm where it looked like deep gashes had one been, the wounds red and angry where the skin had been brought back together, and glistening with an opaque, milky substance that wept from the fissures. Lee looked away, breaking out in a cold sweat as his stomach churned threateningly.

“If you’re going to be sick, turn away from me,” The old woman said, seemingly unphased by the sight.

Lee took a few shaky breaths in through his nose as he closed his eyes, distantly hearing the old woman muttering about weak-stomached Konohans as he willed his stomach to settle. He’d seen injuries on others before, broken bones and head injuries from falling from the rigging, infected cuts, and bullet wounds, but the shock of seeing his own body so damaged was hard to comprehend.

“What happened?” Lee asked weakly, still trying to moderate his breathing. He could only imagine how his leg looked if his arm was so bad.

“Said they pulled you out from under some beams. Cannon must have blown them apart. Crushed you pretty good. Bone was sticking right out of your arm.”

Lee’s stomach rolled again and he took a few more shaky breaths. A sudden sweet smell finally made Lee open his eyes again, watching as the old woman spread a viscous, white ointment over his broken skin.

“W-what is that?” Lee asked.

“Honey and alum. It should keep the infection at bay. Here, drink this.” The old woman pulled a small vial out of the bag at her side, handing it to Lee. He hesitated, sniffing the smoky, brown liquid with trepidation.

“Do you think I would have gone through all this trouble only to poison you now?” The old woman scoffed. Lee flushed, ashamed of his suspicion, but still wary to trust anyone aboard an enemy ship.

“It’s a tincture of myrrh for the inflammation.”

Lee tipped the liquid back, wincing at the bitter taste.

“You’ve got luck on your side, that’s for certain,” The woman commented, pulling a clean roll of cloth from her bag and beginning to rewrap Lee’s arm.

“You call this luck?” Lee asked morosely, hissing once again at the pain. Despite still being alive for the moment, his fate was in the hands of criminals, and if he was to believe them, all the people he loved were either dead or soon to be, lost to the sea. He closed his eyes against the hot tears that finally began to fall. He hadn’t been able to help them, and now he was too injured and weak to be of much use other than as a pawn to betray his own village.

“Few people have come to blows with Love’s Revenge and lived to tell the tale," The old woman said. "Fewer still have had their lives spared by Captain Gaara of the Sand.”

Lee was quiet for a moment as the old woman finished wrapping his arm, thinking that perhaps it would have been easier if the Captain had gone through with it. He remembered the predatory look in those shadowed, sea glass eyes, a look far too malevolent for someone so young. “Your Captain,” Lee asked quietly. “How old is he?”

“Eighteen years ago he came into this world. Tiny, squalling little thing. Pulled him out myself. Shame the mother didn’t make it, but then that’s life.”

“And the crew obeys him?”

The old woman cackled. “Fear is a strong motivator.”

“Captain Gai always says – said,“ Lee swallowed around the lump in his throat as he corrected himself. “That ‘fear can neither fight nor fly’.”

“Under the right circumstances, fear is necessary,” The old woman smiled. “And those too long at sea are a superstitious folk.”

Lee thought back to when the pirate ship had emerged, wraith-like from the fog. It had certainly sent a shiver up his spine in the moment, but the ship itself was real enough. From what he’d seen so far, its crew may be thieves and criminals, but they were still just people.

“I was told pirates did not fear death.”

“Death, no.” The old woman said quietly. “Death comes to all men. But one who cannot be killed is another thing entirely.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Captain Gai's quote about fear is originally from Shakespeare's _The Rape of Lucrece_


End file.
